Post anesthesia care unit

WikiDoc Resources for Post anesthesia care unit
Articles
Most recent articles on Post anesthesia care unit Most cited articles on Post anesthesia care unit Review articles on Post anesthesia care unit Articles on Post anesthesia care unit in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Post anesthesia care unit Images of Post anesthesia care unit Photos of Post anesthesia care unit Podcasts & MP3s on Post anesthesia care unit Videos on Post anesthesia care unit
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Post anesthesia care unit Bandolier on Post anesthesia care unit TRIP on Post anesthesia care unit
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Post anesthesia care unit at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Post anesthesia care unit Clinical Trials on Post anesthesia care unit at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Post anesthesia care unit NICE Guidance on Post anesthesia care unit NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Post anesthesia care unit CDC on Post anesthesia care unit
Books
Books on Post anesthesia care unit
News
Post anesthesia care unit in the news Be alerted to news on Post anesthesia care unit News trends on Post anesthesia care unit
Commentary
Blogs on Post anesthesia care unit
Definitions
Definitions of Post anesthesia care unit
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Post anesthesia care unit Discussion groups on Post anesthesia care unit Patient Handouts on Post anesthesia care unit Directions to Hospitals Treating Post anesthesia care unit Risk calculators and risk factors for Post anesthesia care unit
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Post anesthesia care unit Causes & Risk Factors for Post anesthesia care unit Diagnostic studies for Post anesthesia care unit Treatment of Post anesthesia care unit
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Post anesthesia care unit
International
Post anesthesia care unit en Espanol Post anesthesia care unit en Francais
Business
Post anesthesia care unit in the Marketplace Patents on Post anesthesia care unit
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Post anesthesia care unit

Editor-in-Chief: Santosh Patel M.D., FRCA [1]

Please Join in Editing This Page and Apply to be an Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.

"PACU" redirects here. For the fish, see Pacu (fish).

Overview

A post anesthesia care unit, often abbreviated PACU, is a vital part of hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and other medical facilities. It is an area, normally attached to operating theatre suites, designed to provide care for patients recovering from anesthesia, whether it be general anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia, or local anesthesia.

Common activities

The PACU staff, generally comprised of highly trained nurses are charged with many vital tasks for the care of post-anaesthesia and post operative patients. These essential activities include:-

• monitoring vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure and respiration)
• treating symptoms of postoperative nausea and vomiting (or PONV)
• managing post-operative pain.

These common activities may often need suplementing with more intensive care or treatment. This may require :-

• Preparation and education for the use of Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) units
• Preparation and establishment of IV or epidural infusions
• Preparation and establishment of invasive monitoring such as arterial lines, central venous lines etc

Occasionally, serious life threatening complications, such as laryngospasm or respiratory arrest, can arise post-anesthesia. Unless complications occur, most patients will only stay in the PACU for a few hours, before returning home or to another department of the hospital.

See also

• Operating department practitioner
• Anaesthetic Technician

External links

• Ketamine: Emergency Applications (eMedicine.com) - discusses laryngospasm.